In this work, cysteine-functionalized Fe3O4@Carbon magnetic nanoparticles were used for the synthesis of gold nanorods. Fe3O4@C nanoparticles were first prepared by synthesis of Fe3O4 magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs), and then carbon-coated MNPs (Fe3O4@C) were synthesized by glucose carbonization using a hydrothermal method. Finally, the gold NRs were loaded on the modified surface of Fe3O4@C MNPs. The designed magnetically recoverable gold nanorods, after full characterization by FTIR, SEM, TEM, TGA, VSM, XRD, and ICP-OES, were applied to the reduction of nitroarenes. The Fe3O4@C@Cys-Au nanorods showed higher performance than Fe3O4@C@Cys-Au nanospheres in a selective facile reduction of nitroarenes to the corresponding aminoarenes in aqueous medium at room temperature using NaBH4. [GRAPHICS] .